Faleomavaega commends local biz group

Congressman Faleomavaega has commended the American Samoa Chamber of Commerce for their efforts to organize the local business community and work with the local government to prop up our economy in American Samoa.

“I am pleased with the significant role and contributions of our local Chamber of Commerce in organizing our business community and promoting the interests of entrepreneurs across the territory. It has often been stated that the entrepreneurial spirit is the lifeblood of an economy, and I congratulate the Chamber, especially their Chairman, Mr. David Robinson, for his leadership,” Faleomavaega added.

“The Chamber has played a significant role in the territory by being the voice of the business community regarding government relations, marked especially by Mr. Robinson’s role as Co-Chair of the Governor’s Economic Advisory Council. I also applaud the Chamber’s support for the efforts by American Samoa Bar Association to review our local laws for business-friendly improvements as reported recently by the Samoa News.”

“I urge business leaders across the territory to get involved and have a say in the public policy discussions regarding the economy. I was greatly disappointed when I last spoke at the Chamber of Commerce meeting two months ago. I noted that of all the business leaders around the room, there was not one representative from the Korean, Chinese, or Filipino businesses – are they not members of the Chamber? A large percentage of our retail businesses are operated by Asians and much of the local revenue collected by the American Samoa Government is generated from taxes paid or collected by these businesses. They need to also get involved and take part in the dialogue,” Faleomavaega stated.